Chapter 1495: Five Dragon Guillotine

Blood-red streaks and black rays surged like a storm upon the light barrier, causing it to flicker between darkness and brightness!

In mere moments, the Violet Blood Puppet had swelled to a towering height of a thousand zhang, resembling a celestial deity. With a sweeping motion of its arms, a massive purple axe materialized in its grasp. Gripping the axe with both hands, it unleashed a flurry of purple arcs, slashing fiercely at the black light barrier.

A series of thunderous booms echoed endlessly as countless axe shadows struck the same spot on the barrier simultaneously.

Meanwhile, the white-haired beauty merely intensified the power of her blood blade, refraining from employing any additional supernatural abilities.

With a sharp *rip* sound—

Despite the profound nature of this barrier, under the combined assault of so many Unity-level beings, it was forcibly torn open, revealing a gaping hole dozens of zhang in diameter.

Though the fissure immediately began to glow and mend itself, the brief delay was more than enough for the demon kings.

“Excellent! I shall stabilize the entrance with a secret technique!” Six-Legs exclaimed in delight, raising his hand to release eight spheres of blue light that rapidly expanded.

These turned out to be eight pale-blue pillar-like artifacts, all plunging into the fissure at once.

An astonishing sight unfolded.

A flash of blue light transformed the fissure into a square passageway, its walls lined with smooth blue crystals, as if they had been embedded there all along.

“Fellow Daoists, I shall take the lead,” Six-Legs declared with a wild laugh, transforming into a black streak that spiraled into the passage.

The two blood-robed figures exchanged glances before one of them leaped down from the Violet Blood Puppet, landing on the ground. The other stepped onto the puppet, which swiftly shrank to a mere few zhang in size. After a few flickers, it and the remaining blood-robed figure vanished into the black barrier.

For reasons unknown, they left one behind outside.

The white-haired beauty blinked in surprise, while Mu Qing, on the other side, waved her long sleeves, summoning countless rays of light from all directions. These vanished into her sleeves as she retracted all the restrictions she had laid down.

“Sister Lan, do you intend to bring your two disciples inside? Though the Nether Thunder Beast has been lured out, who knows what other dangers lurk within? Their cultivation is far too weak—it would be a shame for them to perish inside. Surely you wouldn’t want your efforts to go to waste? Jin Ling, you may remain outside,” Mu Qing advised the white-haired beauty with a smile before instructing the golden ape. Then, stepping onto golden blossoms, she flew into the passage.

Jin Ling bowed slightly and indeed remained in place.

The white-haired beauty, however, frowned and cast a cold glance at Yuan Yao and Yan Li, who stood dazed nearby. With a sneer, she muttered, “Leaving them outside would only make me more uneasy. You two, follow me inside!”

With a single hand seal, she summoned a gust of grayish wind that enveloped both women before sweeping them into the fissure with a howl. In moments, only a handful remained outside.

“Let us guard the entrance for now. If all goes well, they should return with the divine milk shortly,” the remaining blood-robed figure remarked to Jin Ling.

“This junior hopes the same. The responsibility for this place now falls to you, Senior,” Jin Ling replied with deep respect.

The blood-robed figure chuckled, his eyes glinting. “Heh, are you wondering whether I am Di Xue’s true form or merely an avatar?”

“Senior jests. My master once said that Senior Di Xue cultivates the great art of soul division. Both of you are equally his true selves—and yet both are also avatars,” Jin Ling replied calmly, his furry face unmoved.

“Fairy Mu seems to know much about this old man,” the blood-robed figure mused, momentarily taken aback before laughing it off and scanning the surroundings.

Aside from the two of them, three high-ranking demonic beings remained outside, all having assumed human forms and standing obediently at a distance.

As the blood-robed figure’s gaze swept over them, he seemed about to speak when his pupils abruptly contracted. His hand shot up without warning, and a massive crimson claw materialized in the air above a nearby patch of empty space, reeking of blood as it expanded to the size of a mu before slashing downward.

*Boom!*

A streak of silver light flashed through the void, slicing the crimson claw clean in two.

A figure then shimmered into view beneath the silver radiance—a blood-armored puppet, its expression cold as it stared at the blood-robed figure and the others.

“An Ephemera clansman?” Jin Ling blurted in shock.

“Be careful! This is no ordinary blood-armored puppet—it’s a high-ranking Ephemera possessing it!” the blood-robed figure warned, inwardly startled.

Though his earlier attack hadn’t been a major technique, the ease with which it was countered was unexpected.

Narrowing his eyes, he fixed his gaze on the indistinct silver light. Its brilliance was so intense that even his enhanced vision couldn’t pierce through it, stirring a sense of unease within him. He didn’t dare look away.

Jin Ling, heeding the warning and noting the blood-robed figure’s grave expression, also tensed, his eyes glowing gold as he scrutinized the light.

Where the blood-robed figure saw only a blur, the golden ape’s spiritual sight revealed a wondrous sight—a faint silver flood dragon twisting and coiling within the radiant glow.

“What is this…?” Jin Ling frowned, unable to identify the object, though it likely resembled a blade or sword given how effortlessly it had severed the blood-robed figure’s attack.

“You must be a straggler from the Ephemera clan. Having slipped past our notice, why not hide elsewhere and cling to life? Revealing yourself now—are you tired of living, seeking death at our hands?” the blood-robed figure sneered, his tone biting.

“Clung to life? Had we not been confined to puppet bodies during our battle, do you truly believe you could have defeated us so easily? But no matter. With the rest of your group already inside the Divine Pool, it’s time to close the net and exterminate you all,” the blood-armored puppet retorted icily.

“Exterminate us? With just you?” The blood-robed figure clicked his tongue, unfazed, his lips curling into a sinister smile.

“Indeed. Just me—and this Five Dragon Guillotine in my hand!” The puppet’s voice turned eerily distorted as it raised a hand, summoning a silver guillotine that descended from the sky with a clear, dragon-like chime. Catching it deftly, the puppet held it horizontally before itself.

“The Five Dragon Guillotine… I feel as though I’ve heard of this before,” the blood-robed figure murmured, eyeing the blade with suspicion.

“Perhaps. But it matters not. You shall soon perish beneath its edge.”

With that, the puppet wasted no further words. Raising the guillotine, it swung it several times through the air toward its foes.

Jin Ling and the blood-robed figure instinctively dodged, darting to either side.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Three phantom blades of varying hues materialized mid-air, striking the three distant high-ranking demons.

“Agh—!”

Despite their vigilance, the phantoms moved too swiftly. In a flash, the three demons collapsed without a sound, their bodies cleanly bisected. The phantom blades then vanished as mysteriously as they had appeared.

Jin Ling and the blood-robed figure paled. The golden ape spun on the spot, preparing to flee skyward, while the blood-robed figure flicked his sleeves, releasing clouds of crimson mist.

Yet the blood-armored puppet merely watched with mocking eyes before swinging the guillotine again. This time, four phantom blades materialized above their heads, descending with eerie precision.

Though the phantoms seemed to move slowly, they blurred and reappeared inches from their targets in an instant.

Jin Ling, panic-stricken, shrugged his shoulders, sending the twin shortswords on his back shooting upward like twin beams to intercept two of the phantoms.

*Crack!*

The swords shattered into four pieces mid-air.

A phantom blade flashed downward—

“No!” Jin Ling’s form blurred desperately.

The blade passed through him, but the bisected figure dissipated—a mere afterimage.

Ten zhang away, golden light flared as Jin Ling’s true form emerged.

Yet before he could fully solidify, another phantom blade streaked toward his face, its timing impeccable. Escape was impossible.

*Thump.*

His head tumbled from his shoulders. The headless golden ape swayed briefly before toppling to the ground.

The blood-armored puppet, standing afar, reversed its grip on the guillotine. A wisp of green flame emerged, cradling a miniature golden monkey, its face twisted in terror.

With a cold laugh, the puppet shook the weapon. Silver light flared, and the monkey’s scream was cut short as the green flame turned to ash.

The puppet’s gaze then shifted to the blood-robed figure, now enveloped in a mu-sized cloud of blood. Though two phantom blades slashed relentlessly, the figure managed to evade each by a hair’s breadth.

Eyes glowing green, the puppet snorted and hurled the guillotine skyward. Silver light erupted as countless phantom blades rained down, an endless, dense barrage.

The blood-robed figure’s composure shattered. Without hesitation, he propelled his blood cloud toward the blue passageway, realizing too late that the guillotine’s wielder was beyond his ability to oppose.

But what he didn’t anticipate was that the Five Dragon Guillotine had only just begun to bare its fangs.

The puppet formed a series of hand seals. The phantom blades dissolved, and with a peal of thunder, the silver guillotine split into five five-clawed flood dragons, each a different color.

After a single loop in the air, they transformed into five crystalline giant blades—and vanished.

The next instant, they reappeared above the blue passage’s entrance, descending as one.

Their target: the blood cloud that had just arrived.